Mark 9:43-44 “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- (44) where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”
In scripture, hell has more than one name ascribed to it. It is also referred to as Hades, the bottomless pit, Sheol, outer darkness and various other names. Hell’s location is under the earth, and so as we walk around on the earth’s surface it is sobering to think that below our feet there are currently billions of people who are suffering varying degrees of torment. In the above passage of scripture our Lord Jesus described hell as a place where the fire is never quenched, and the worms never die. You will recall from an earlier quoted passage of scripture that the rich man in hell spoke of the torment that he was suffering in the flames of fire that engulfed him. The scripture also describes Satan as being covered with worms when he is finally cast down there (Isaiah 14:11). Satan being covered with worms is not an experience that is exclusive to him however, for all of hells’ inhabitants experience that same torment. And so we see that people in hell are tormented in flames of fire and are covered with worms that never die. Our Lord Jesus also described hell as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Luke 13:28). We have already seen that the people in hell are fully aware why they are there, and that is one of the reasons for their weeping as they realize that they only have themselves to blame for the torment that they will experience for all eternity. There are also different levels in hell and the lower down one is cast into hell, the greater the degree of torment that is suffered. The lowest pit in hell is reserved for those who will suffer the most, and Satan is destined for that part of hell (Isaiah 14:15). And so it is obvious that the more wickedly people behave in this life, the lower down into hell they will be cast after they die, thus experiencing the appropriate degree of torment for all eternity. As heaven is a vast place, so is hell, and it can never be filled (Proverbs 27:20). Hell will be emptied at the end of the age however, and all who are there will eventually be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, including Death and Hell.
Michael E.B. Maher
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